Saturday, December 29, 2012

Roads of Chennai - 1

G.N. Chetty Road, T.Nagar

Roads are the blood vessels of a city. The more efficient they are, the more healthy the city is. 

Right from my childhood I had an interest to travel a lot - wide and long, but most importantly to every nook and corner of where I stay. And this led me to research on every road of Chennai.

Let me start with my most favorite - G.N.Chetty Road, where my sweet home is located. A good and great part of my life was spent, being spent and going to be spent on this lovely road. This road, along with the gorgeous trees remind me of the several such roads in Bangalore. This is one more reason for me to -just love it- My most favorite landmarks that dot this road are Vani Mahal, Hotel Residency, Dee Cee Manor, L'Accord Metropolitan and lots more. And that junction where G.N.Road meets Panagal Park..whew!!

Moving over, my next is 3rd Cross Street of CIT Nagar. It is rather a street than a road, but by the existing standard of the various lanes which are named as 'Roads' this one can very well pass as a road. This is where my school is situated and hence it has to make to my fav list :D More than anything this is the place, where several incidents - life changing - have happened. So this is one which I can never forget and be etched in my memory for ever.

Old 'M' Road - Well, to be honest, there's one OMR in B'lore which is expanded as Old Madras Road, i.e., the road which goes to Madras. And when I heard about the OMR of Chennai, I was damn sure that it that Madras road from B'lore. It was very long time later that I discovered that it is not the road from B'lore. And being honest one more time this road isn't exactly what I expected of a so called 'IT Highway'. It was a few years back that I had frequented this road, and for a fair amount of time, I had untouched this stretch. Now that my office is here, I travel along all time and nothing has changed, except for the designer buildings that dot over.

ECR - And this is another road which got me over-hyped. Long ago I read in some damned paper that this was a road of world-class and one of the best in the world. And this must be fairly 10 years back when I had no idea of ECR. And this is one which disappointed me heavily even while I being a child. And I stop here.

Other roads which I love the most and frequent a lot are 'roads of Tiruvallikeni'. Each and every road in Tiruvallikeni has a story to tell. Though I may not be aware of them, it shows on my face, when I walk through these. While walking through these roads, I go back in time, to the ages when I didn't exist. Such serenity and divinity of the roads, that they take you to the mythological Aayarpadi or Gokulam, where Krishna lived. The cows that abound add an extra flavor to these roads (irony intended here :P)

Durgabai Deshmukh Road, which I feel is one the widest road around, is yet another which charms me always. Added with the Thiru Vi Ka Bridge, it makes a good driving experience along this stretch.

Besant Nagar Promenade is yet another which I love. The cool breeze soothes one, though the 'fish smell' irritates the vegetarian in me.

Thus said I stop for now. There a quite a lot more on the roads which I feel, must share, which will be done soon. So take care and keep exploring..

God Bless..


Thursday, December 27, 2012

Vaikunda Ekadasi


Kadi Malar Kamalangal Malarndhana Ivayo Kadhiravan Guna Disai Mulaitanan Ivano
Tudiyidaar Suzhi Kuzhal Pizhindhu Udari Tugilu Udutthu Erinar Soozh Punal Aranga..
Todayathu Tulavamum Koodayum Kolindhu Thotriya Seer Thondaradipodi Ennum 
Adiyanai Aliyan Endru Aruli Un Adiyarku Aatpadhuthai Palli Ezhundhu Arulaaye

Thirupalliezhuchi
Thondaradipodi Azhwar

If there is a festival which awakens the spiritual side of me, then it is this and nothing else. I don't consider myself to be a religious person, but a highly spiritual person. Yes..tons of difference exist between being religious and spiritual. More than just being said or read, experiencing is the best way to differentiate them.

On the Vaikunda Ekadasi of this year, a small thought got seeded into my mind and wonder, it grew into a huge banyan tree in split second. The thought which occurred made me realize a great thing. Though 'It' was known to me earlier I wonder how I could miss it and wander aimless.

'Vaikundam' or 'Paramapadham' the eternal abode of Lord Vishnu. Or am I giving the definition wrong?!

Is it that 'Lord Vishnu stays in Vaikundam' or is it otherwise?! It is not that His 'address' or 'location' is Vaikundam, rather it's the other-way round.

Vaikundam is one which abounds Lord Vishnu. It is not that He lives within It. Vaikundam exists around Him. So it is obvious that, at every place where Lord Vishnu resides, Vaikundam exists. 

Referring the Lord of Tirupati, it is said.. 
"It is not the Darshan that we get.. but the Darshan which He gives"

This small thought, which grew gigantic, made my day of Vaikunda Ekadasi.

Lord Vishnu as the Antaryami stays resides within the smallest thing ever that exists and builds up everything, known and unknown. And the Vaikundam exists around Him and hence present in every thing that make us up. Realizing this one truth makes us attain Vaikundam, which is the ultimate aim of everything that cease to exist or non-exist.

Wonder if this was any truth that our elders wished to convey us. Realizing the 'Vaikundam' within us also puts up an other thing.. If Vaikunda Ekadasi is the day when the doors to Vaikundam open, every moment that we think upon the Lord and open our heart, the doors of Vaikundam also open. Which means it is Vaikunda Ekadasi every day..every moment..

Hari Om


Monday, December 24, 2012

My tryst with JAVA


In the good old younger days of mine, all I knew about Java was that it is a good 'Honeymoon' destination.. [ thinking of honeymoon destination while being young.., well this shows how good and innocent I was ;) ]

But of-course, later I came to know about the prog-lang Java. I had always expected it to be a very gruesome one, which would deny mercy. And it proved wrong. Java was something great in the good side, and horrible though, going the other way.

Java is platform independent, no pointers..blah..blah..blah..no more technical stuffs here on!!

My earlier C and C++ knowledge was supposed to help me in college when JAVA became a subject. Though it didn't let me way hell down, never did it take me high in anyway.

I did manage my way through it and lo..I was really not that bad as I had self-estimated to be.

Sems went through and JAVA was an old friend [old not-in-touch contact number, for better] by that time and I had to meet my old friend again.

Joining my office, good old JAVA gave a 'hot' welcome and it was so hot that i got my '@' burnt by it [though it got healed by a technical-medical miracle :P]


to be continued..